Consumers want to be assured the produce they feed their families is safe. To address these concerns, the Pesticide Data Program, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service, annually tests thousands of samples of fruits and vegetables as well as other products for pesticide residues. Each year, the data shows the extremely low levels of residues are not a food safety risk, and the presence of such residues does not pose a safety concern.
The Pesticide Data Program
Started in 1991, the Pesticide Data Program (PDP) has tested commodities in the U.S. food supply. The data is provided to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate pesticide use for agricultural production. The EPA works with the USDA to identify the foods to be tested on a rotating basis. The PDP is the only statistically defensible, national program that provides unbiased data that reflects dietary exposure to pesticides through food consumption.
The EPA sets safety standards (known as ‘tolerances’) for pesticide residues that legally may remain on or in food. These tolerances are the upper limit of pesticide residues allowable on commodities. When setting tolerances, the EPA considers all possible routes of exposure through food, water, and home environments. The agency uses PDP data to ascertain exposure through food.
The data is published in an annual summary that reflects actual residues present in food grown in various regions of the United States and overseas. The most recent PDP data was released in February 2014 and confirmed that overall pesticide residues found on foods do not pose a safety concern. More than 99 percent of the products sampled had residues below EPA tolerances.
Sample Collection and Analysis
The PDP collects foods by employing a sound statistical program and tests them using the most current laboratory methods. Sample collection methods require purchasing fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural products close to the point of consumption. The samples are collected at terminal markets and chain store distribution centers throughout the country. They are sent to laboratories where they are tested and analyzed for pesticide residues.
Because the packaging size of products sampled is sometimes more than what the laboratories need to do the testing, an unintended benefit of the program is that excess samples are donated to local organizations, including food banks, homeless shelters, senior citizen centers, shelters for battered women, and churches. Most charity food organizations rely almost exclusively on canned or dried goods. The excess PDP produce samples may be the only supply of fresh fruit or vegetables available to recipients. Donating the excess product was a simple idea and a rewarding way to reduce food loss and waste.
In addition to routine sampling and testing, the PDP also works with industry stakeholders to address issues that present a challenge. In 2012, the emergence of the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) in the Mid-Atlantic region threatened the production and marketing of apples, pears, and peaches. The BMSB causes lesions and damage to fruit, rendering it unmarketable—a devastating blow to growers. Use of the pesticide Bifenthrin was the most effective method to combat stink bugs; however, this pesticide was not registered for use on apples and peaches.
Consumers want to be assured the produce they feed their families is safe. To address these concerns, the Pesticide Data Program, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service, annually tests thousands of samples of fruits and vegetables as well as other products for pesticide residues. Each year, the data shows the extremely low levels of residues are not a food safety risk, and the presence of such residues does not pose a safety concern.
The Pesticide Data Program
Started in 1991, the Pesticide Data Program (PDP) has tested commodities in the U.S. food supply. The data is provided to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate pesticide use for agricultural production. The EPA works with the USDA to identify the foods to be tested on a rotating basis. The PDP is the only statistically defensible, national program that provides unbiased data that reflects dietary exposure to pesticides through food consumption.
The EPA sets safety standards (known as ‘tolerances’) for pesticide residues that legally may remain on or in food. These tolerances are the upper limit of pesticide residues allowable on commodities. When setting tolerances, the EPA considers all possible routes of exposure through food, water, and home environments. The agency uses PDP data to ascertain exposure through food.
The data is published in an annual summary that reflects actual residues present in food grown in various regions of the United States and overseas. The most recent PDP data was released in February 2014 and confirmed that overall pesticide residues found on foods do not pose a safety concern. More than 99 percent of the products sampled had residues below EPA tolerances.
Sample Collection and Analysis
The PDP collects foods by employing a sound statistical program and tests them using the most current laboratory methods. Sample collection methods require purchasing fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural products close to the point of consumption. The samples are collected at terminal markets and chain store distribution centers throughout the country. They are sent to laboratories where they are tested and analyzed for pesticide residues.
Because the packaging size of products sampled is sometimes more than what the laboratories need to do the testing, an unintended benefit of the program is that excess samples are donated to local organizations, including food banks, homeless shelters, senior citizen centers, shelters for battered women, and churches. Most charity food organizations rely almost exclusively on canned or dried goods. The excess PDP produce samples may be the only supply of fresh fruit or vegetables available to recipients. Donating the excess product was a simple idea and a rewarding way to reduce food loss and waste.
In addition to routine sampling and testing, the PDP also works with industry stakeholders to address issues that present a challenge. In 2012, the emergence of the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) in the Mid-Atlantic region threatened the production and marketing of apples, pears, and peaches. The BMSB causes lesions and damage to fruit, rendering it unmarketable—a devastating blow to growers. Use of the pesticide Bifenthrin was the most effective method to combat stink bugs; however, this pesticide was not registered for use on apples and peaches.
Growers requested a special-use permit from the EPA pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, Section 18, which authorizes the EPA to allow the use of an unregistered pesticide, for a limited time, if an emergency condition exists. Emergency exemptions fall into four categories, each with a corresponding timeframe for the use of the specific pesticide: specific (situational, to prevent a significant economic loss or risk to a species or the environment; up to one year), quarantine (to prevent the spread of an invasive species; up to three years), public health (to control a threat to human health; up to one year), or crisis (a determined ‘immediate need’ of any of the above; up to fifteen days).
Before granting the Section 18 exemption, EPA required data on Bifenthrin residue levels on apples, pears, and peaches to be certain use would not cause unnecessary risk or harm to
consumers. The industry turned to the USDA for help. In response, PDP reached out to the state cooperative extension services, grower groups, and the BMSB Working Group. Together, they developed a sampling and testing action plan. Staff provided training sessions on proper sample collection and shipping procedures, and samples were collected on farms in the affected states after Bifenthrin was applied. This was a change from the routine collection method, but it helped the industry provide the requested data to the EPA.
The PDP’s laboratories also changed their testing methods to meet EPA’s specifications. Normally, PDP matches consumer practices (e.g., washing and coring apples prior to testing) to reflect actual pesticide application residues. Samples were unwashed and unpeeled for this survey. The resulting data showed no Bifenthrin residue levels above the EPA proposed tolerance for each fruit. As a result, the EPA approved the emergency Section 18 exemption for use on apples and peaches grown in the Mid-Atlantic states, and significant crop loss was prevented.
The Bifenthrin stink bug project is one example of the PDP’s continued support for American agriculture. Another example occurred in 2003 when the PDP assisted the industry by generating data to support the registration of triazole pesticides for a number of commodities.
Point of Fact
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act was enacted on June 25, 1947, giving the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the power to regulate the use of pesticides in the United States. Specifics of the Act charge the EPA with overseeing the registration for all pesticides, licensing for all pesticide applicators, re-registration of all pesticide products, and to regulate the storage, transportation, disposal, and recall of all pesticide products.
New data requirements for the metabolites (breakdown products) common to the triazole class of pesticides triggered a joint effort by the government and industry to gather data to support necessary triazole uses. The PDP was already testing several commodities for triazole pesticides, but the number of compounds tested in each type of commodity did not fully meet the EPA’s needs to conduct a risk assessment for the entire triazole class of compounds.
In order to satisfy the EPA’s data requirements, including PDP’s statistically-based sampling frame, the PDP teamed up with the U.S. Triazole Task Force, a government/industry consortium, to conduct testing on several commodities. The resulting data was provided to the EPA and Section 18 permits were granted. The use of triazole fungicides in the food industry is vital for growers, packers, and distributors to get their product to market in good condition. Numerous triazole compounds continue to be monitored by the PDP on a routine basis to support current use of triazole pesticides.
The PDP’s data also benefits the agricultural industry by supporting the development of new pest management approaches that meet the needs of an evolving U.S. agricultural system. The USDA Office of Pest Management Policy uses PDP data to better understand the relationship of pesticide residues to agricultural practices. The information is used to develop enhanced integrated pest management objectives. These data-focused pest management strategies help the agriculture industry with research, implementation, and regulatory issues.
Since its inception, the PDP has tested 112 commodities including fresh and processed fruit and vegetables, meat and poultry, grains, catfish, rice, specialty products, and water. The PDP works with state agencies representing all regions of the country and more than half of the U.S. population. In 2012, there were 13 states that participated in PDP sampling and/or testing operations. The data is essential in supporting efforts by the USDA and EPA to assess the American consumer’s dietary exposure to pesticide residues.
Pesticide data published by the USDA each year provides regulators, scientists, growers, and consumers with important insights into the actual levels of pesticide residues found on widely consumed foods. The data is a valuable tool for food producers and processors, chemical manufacturers, environmental interest groups, and food safety organizations.
With 30 percent of the world’s arable lands and only 7 percent of the world’s population, the U.S. produces enough affordable food to satisfy American consumers and export products at competitive prices. The PDP supplies scientifically sound, unbiased data to ensure the agricultural industry has effective and diverse crop protection tools available to manage pest pressures. For more information, visit the PDP website: www.ams.usda.gov/pdp.
